1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to washing appliances and, more particularly, to a diagnostic device for a washing appliance, and an apparatus and method associated therewith.
2. Description of Related Art
Certain washing appliances, such as a dishwasher, include a circuit board or other control unit that is otherwise in electrical communication (via a wiring harness) with one or more controller elements and/or user interfaces mounted in a front door (i.e., control switches mounted to the top of the door or the front of the door) of the appliance. Various operational components of the dishwasher are thus controlled via the circuit board/control unit through various commands for controlling such components initiated through the controller element/user interface mounted on the door.
In some instances, the status information, regarding particular operational components of the appliance, available through the controller element/user interface may be limited. In other instances, the circuit board/control unit may not be readily accessible (i.e., mounted within the base of a dishwasher). As such, if a problem occurs with the dishwasher after the dishwasher has been installed, a technician must often uninstall the entire dishwasher, and possibly disassemble much of the dishwasher, in order to troubleshoot the problem. Even then, the “repair” may often involve replacing components thought to be related to the apparent symptoms, until the problem is resolved. Such an approach is often time consuming, inefficient, and expensive (i.e., where the repair involves replacing components to solve the problem) and may, in some instances, involve multiple installations and uninstallations of the dishwasher, and/or multiple service calls (i.e., if parts must be ordered).
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a diagnostic device and associated method for identifying the source of a component failure in the washing appliance, in the event that a problem occurs. Such a solution should desirably be conveniently or readily accessible, whether to the owner of the appliance or the service person. Further, such a solution should desirably provide a perceptible indication of the one or more components of the appliance responsible for the failure, and should desirably do so in a clear and particular manner.